World Cup Final Sets Soccer Viewership Record

It only took about 16 minutes for the Women's World Cup final to effectively be over, but Fox probably hoped the U.S. team's run to the championship would never end.

Team USA's 5-2 rout of defending champion Japan on Sunday night brought in 25.4 million viewers on Fox, according to a person familiar with the final figures. Nielsen on Wednesday plans to formally release the number, which sets a record for the most-watched soccer game in the U.S.

The viewership figure is more than the U.S. men's team's duel with Portugal at last summer's World Cup -- the previous record holder -- which brought in 18.2 million people on ESPN, according to Nielsen. Including Univision viewers watching in Spanish, the total was 24.7 million. The recent NBA Finals on ABC, a six-game series, averaged just under 20 million viewers.

Sunday night's victory, an all-but-certain conclusion after Team USA scored four goals in the first 16 minutes, marks the U.S. women's team's first championship since 1999. The high viewership number will be a boon for both soccer fanatics and women's sports.

Games garnered large viewership numbers throughout the tournament, but none nearly as formidable as the final. The U.S. team's matches against China, Colombia and Australia brought in 5.7 million, 4.7 million and 3.3 million viewers, respectively, according to Nielsen.